The other thing is material. A lot of 'ritual' axes are made from stone that is too brittle to be of any practical use.
Can you draw paralells with those gold balls on sticks that kings and queens have these days (or not so long ago). Sort of ceremonial twatting sticks...
I think if an axe is impractical ie too large, too delicate, too brittle AND it's associated with a 'ritual' site we kinda have to make a leap of faith and say it was made for ritual purposes.
What does everyone else think?