A polishing pad (10) is formed as a one-piece article having a region (12) which is transparent and an adjacent region (14) which is opaque. The article (10) is formed by solidifying a flowable polymeric material which at least initially has a uniform composition. The flowable polymeric material is processed during a molding operation to provide the transparent region (12) and the adjacent opaque region (14). Types of polymeric material suitable for making the polishing pad (10) include a single thermoplastic material, a blend of thermoplastic materials, and a reactive thermosetting polymer.