Yes you can boil the clams if you want to and cook them in boiling water.
Or you can also steam cook the clams.
If you want to boil the clams you should bring the water to a boil and then place the clams in the boiling water.
You should kill the clams first but when you do boil the clams alive the clams will die as a result of the boiling water.
So you could just place the clams in the boiling water alive and they will die and cook.
Allow the clams to boil in the boiling water for around 7 minutes or until the clams open and when the clams open in the boiling water the clams are done and ready to eat once cooled down.
If the clam is already dead and has been dead for awhile then throw it away as it can have bacteria on it.