If [tex]x\neq y[/tex], then we can write
[tex]\dfrac{x^4-y^4}{x^2-y^2}=\dfrac{(x^2-y^2)(x^2+y^2)}{x^2-y^2}=x^2+y^2[/tex]
and since this is continuous for all [tex]x\neq y[/tex], the limit as [tex](x,y)\to(a,a)[/tex] will be
[tex]\displaystyle\lim_{(x,y)\to(a,a)}\frac{x^4-y^4}{x^2-y^2}=\lim_{(x,y)\to(a,a)}(x^2+y^2)=2a^2[/tex]