The tide or tidal current; the rise and fall of sea level and related currents.
満潮の時間を調べてから出発しよう。
Let's check the high tide time before we leave.
潮の流れに乗って船が速く進んだ。
The boat moved faster riding the current of the tide.
干潮だと砂浜が広くなる。
At low tide the beach becomes wider.
Seawater itself; the salty water of the sea.
手に潮の匂いがついている。
My hands smell like the sea (salt water).
海水（潮）を浴びて衣服がしょっぱくなった。
After getting splashed with seawater, my clothes became salty.
An opportunity or right moment (figurative usage, as in 潮時 — the right time).
独立するには今が潮だと思う。
I think now is the right time to become independent.
勝負に出る潮が来た。
The moment to make a decisive move has come.
潮を読む力がビジネスでは大切だ。
Being able to read the tide (sense the right timing) is important in business.